Fly Me Courageous
Encyclopedia
Fly Me Courageous is the fourth studio album by the Hard Rock/Southern Rock band Drivin' N' Cryin', released on January 8, 1991
by Island Records
. The album is the band's most commercially successful release, in part due to the title track striking a patriotic chord with the United States during the start of the Persian Gulf War. In 1995, Fly Me Courageous was certified gold.
was going to be the producer of the album. Drivin' N Cryin' was impressed by Johns' work with Rod Stewart
and Cinderella
and wanted him to produce Fly Me Courageous. However, Johns fell ill, so they chose Geoff Workman to be the producer.
Fly Me Courageous was released during the outbreak of the Persian Gulf War. In turn, the album's title track was interpreted as a pro-war song. "Fly Me Courageous" reached #15 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. Drivin' N Cryin's guitarist Kevin Kinney said of the song's success:
In addition to the title track, the song "Build a Fire" was also a commercial success for the band, reaching #15 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and receiving regular rotation on MTV
.
s Bob Mack wrote of the album: "Stabs at pop ('Together') and last-ditch efforts to dazzle ('Rush Hour') are too little, too late, but even so, their impulse to integrate influences rather than pick a niche is refreshing". Both reviewers also noted the influence of R.E.M.
on the album's sound (Drivin' N Cryin' had toured with R.E.M. during R.E.M.'s Green tour). On the contrary, Kerrang!
reviewer Paul Henderson considered Fly Me Courageous "a confused LP by a confused band", giving it a very low rating.
1991 in music
See also:* 1991 in music Record labels established in 1991-Summary:The year 1991 is the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough. Nirvana's Nevermind, led by the surprise hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit", becomes the most popular U.S. album of the year...
by Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
. The album is the band's most commercially successful release, in part due to the title track striking a patriotic chord with the United States during the start of the Persian Gulf War. In 1995, Fly Me Courageous was certified gold.
Overview
Originally, Andy JohnsAndy Johns
Andy Johns is an engineer and producer who worked on well-known rock albums such as Led Zeppelin's IV and The Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street. His sound is exemplified by Free's album Highway, which he engineered and produced....
was going to be the producer of the album. Drivin' N Cryin' was impressed by Johns' work with Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
and Cinderella
Cinderella (band)
Cinderella is an American heavy metal band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They emerged in the mid-1980s with a series of multi-platinum albums and hit singles whose music videos received heavy MTV rotation. They were famous for being a glam metal band, but then shifted over towards a more hard...
and wanted him to produce Fly Me Courageous. However, Johns fell ill, so they chose Geoff Workman to be the producer.
Fly Me Courageous was released during the outbreak of the Persian Gulf War. In turn, the album's title track was interpreted as a pro-war song. "Fly Me Courageous" reached #15 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. Drivin' N Cryin's guitarist Kevin Kinney said of the song's success:
In addition to the title track, the song "Build a Fire" was also a commercial success for the band, reaching #15 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and receiving regular rotation on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
.
Reception
Tom Demalon of Allmusic called Fly Me Courageous Drivin' N Cryin's "finest moment, both commercially and artistically." Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Bob Mack wrote of the album: "Stabs at pop ('Together') and last-ditch efforts to dazzle ('Rush Hour') are too little, too late, but even so, their impulse to integrate influences rather than pick a niche is refreshing". Both reviewers also noted the influence of R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
on the album's sound (Drivin' N Cryin' had toured with R.E.M. during R.E.M.'s Green tour). On the contrary, Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
reviewer Paul Henderson considered Fly Me Courageous "a confused LP by a confused band", giving it a very low rating.
Track listing
Drivin' N Cryin'
- Buren Fowler - Guitar
- Kevn Kinney -Guitar, Vocals
- Tim Nielsen - Bass, Mandolin, Vocals (Background)
- Jeff Sullivan - Drums, Percussion
Additional personnel
- Clark Brown - Photography
- Kim Buie - A&R
- Holly Ferguson - A&R
- LA B Company - Art Direction, Design, Photography
- George Marino - Mastering
- Tim Ray - Assistant Engineer
- Stefani Scamardo - A&R
- Geoff Workman - Engineer, Producer
Album
| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
90 |
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart positions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Modern Rock |
US Mainstream Rock |
|||||||||||
| 1991 | "Fly Me Courageous" | 15 | 19 | |||||||||
| 1991 | "Build a Fire" | - | 15 | |||||||||
| 1991 | "The Innocent" | - | 31 | |||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||||||||||